Brick-machine



LQBQKBNNEDY. Brick Machine.

Patented April 5,1881.

N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGHAPHEH, WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS B. KENNEDY, OF KEOKUK, IOWA.

BRICK-MACHINE.

VSPECIIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,611, dated April 5, 1881.

Application filed' J' une 21, 1880.

(Model.)

' To all whom it may concern:

which I do not claim herein; and the objects of my present improvements are, first, `to strengthen and improve various partsot' the machine for practical use; and, second, to provide for operating the machine by power as well as by hand. I attain these objects by the mechanism made substantially as set forth hereinafter, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a vertical section of the entire machine.

The machine has an iron frame, A, formed of two side parts united by bolts E E' and A" A", and bearings A' A', and additional wood or metal portions Z, Z', and u, connected to it. These bear all the working parts, as shown.\

The apparatus is arranged to be operated by hand by long lever F, and also when desired by power', by driving-wheel M, connected with lever F by pitman L and crank M".

The frame A bears a horizontal table, B. This is arranged to turn around a shaft, C, passing through the center of thetable. This shaft acts as a bolt, connecting the top and bottom parts of frame A, so as to strengthen it where it bends around the edge of the ta ble. The table B is round, and bea-rs four sets ot' molds, B' B"', one in each of its four quarters. It has a gearing-wheel,R, below, by Whichit is turned by bevel-wheel P', which engages with it.

The partly-dry clay, in lumps, is put into a hopper in frame u, where it is broken and pulverized by rollers o, fu', and W, with or without teeth, driven by belt from Wheel N, connected with wheel M. The clay then falls onto a riddle, which removes for regrinding the parts too coarse, and permits the portion linecnough topfall into two molds in table B under it. When these molds are full thetableBis turned one-quarter around by wheel B'. This'levels off the cla-y in the molds by passing under the edge otl frame u, and brings them under plungers D. The grinders act continuously, and the clay falls into the molds loosely and in uniform mass, so that it will be compacted into a solid brick, tough and homogeneous throughout. 'lVhen the filled molds reach position under plungers D they stop, and the plungers descend and compress the clay into brick, While the plungers below rise, making a like compression on the under part ot' the brick. The upper plungers then rise and permit the table to turn one-quarter, again bringing another set of lilled molds into place and removing themolds with thecompressed brick. When the molds with brick reach position B'" plungers T from below force the brick out. on top, to be removed, by hand, in condition to be hacked up or set into kiln. The empty molds then turn into position under frame u to receive a new supply ot' clay.

The lever F is movedby hand, or by bar L from a drive-wheel, M, and is pivoted on bolt E. It connects with lever F' below, pivoted at E' by bar K, pivoted to each so they will move alike.` Bars II H' are pivoted to levers F F' at Gr Gr', and into {Hunger-stocks I I',as, shown, so as to move them in guideways in frame A, the one down and the other up, by the action otleverF. These parts are arranged so the4 pivots of bars H H' hold the parts together, and so that when they approach a line With the central pivots ot' levers F F' they al= low the parts to rest against each otheras the pressure is nearly complete, to relieve the pivots of the great strain of pressure. The pivots of levers F F' are placed in frame A above and below the molds to be acted on. The plungers, with their bearing stockways, are arranged to move in line between these pivots. The pivots ot' bars H H' to these stocks and to levers F F' -are also arranged to be brought into this line at the point otl greatest pressure on the brick, so as to gain the great-- est purchase of power to bear on the brick. This enables the parts also to bear the greatest strain by direct end-thrust. The pivots of levers F F' are held, against this pressure, apart by frame A, which connects above and below around edge of table B'and by part (C, acting IOO as a bolt through the table, and secured in frame A above and below by nuts. These features are of great advantage in giving the greatest possible solidity to the brick.

The plunger-stocks I I move in guideways in frame A, and have each two side parts fitting them. The upper stock, I, bears two plungers, D, fitting the molds. The lower head, D', receives the movable mold-bottoms B", which hang below so far as to serve as plun gers from below. Each set of these plungers D B" moves toward the other when the levers F F' move with their free ends downward, and compress the clay between them in the mold from each sideinto a solid brick. The upper plungers, D, are then withdrawn, while the lower, B", remain until the plungers T force them up to remove the brick, when they descend again.

The wheel M-turns continuously. The bar L from crank Mll has a slot at its other end by which it connects with lever F above by a pivot, so as to allow the lever to be idle a part of each turn of wheel M, and so as to move it (hiring the other part ofthe turn. When crank M" reaches point L' the counter-balance F" raises lever F partly, as shown, by means of the slot in bar L. Then the lever remains stationary while the table B revolves one-quarter to change the molds, till the crank M" reaches point L", going down again, when it draws down'on lever F, to compress the brick, till it reaches L'. Then it moves up again to point L', to raise plun gers D. When crank M" reaches point L' a knob or projection, M', on wheel M, strikes an. arm, Q, pi voted at Q', and raises it so as to draw a catch, D', from a notch in table B. This releases the table at the time the plungers are raised, and lets it be turned to bring another' set ot' molds under the plungers. When projection M' strikes projection Q" it drives catch Q' against the table B, so as to enter a notch in its rim and hold and lock it true during the descent of the plungers into the molds. The weight oi' arm Q holds this in place till again withdrawn in like manner. This lock can be operated by hand or foot, it' desired.

A pulley, P, on shaft of wheel M, drives, by a belt or equivalent, a pulley on shaft of wheel P', which engages with bevel-wheel R to turn table B when the table is released. PulleyP a little eccentric, and set to let the belt slip when the table is locked by catch Q'.

The devices for turning and locking the table may be variously moditied, or it may be turned by hand by a crank from-wheel P.

The bar S connects with lever F by pivot G', so as to moveV with it into position shown by dotted lines. This bar pivots to two parts, S' S", which pivot together and to it, and at their other ends pivot, the upper to a fixed part and the lower to the lower part of a bar set in guides to move upward. When lever F moves to draw bar S into position ot' the dotted lines it draws this vertical bar upward and forces plungers T, borne by it, up against the mold-bottoms, to discharge the brick, and by reversal withdraws the plungers.

4 Various parts ot' the apparatus admit of various modifications.

I claim- 1. The combination ot revolving table B, bearing brick-molds, with bent frame A and connecting-bolt C through the table B, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination. in a brick-machine, of levers F F', connected with upper and lower plungers, and counter-weight F", with a driving shaft or wheel so connected and adapted to drive the plungers and permit theml to be lidle alternately by continuons motion, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with upper and lower plungers and a horizontally-revolving. table, levers F F'. drive-wheel M, and slotted connecting-bar L, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination ot' a drive-wheel and connectingbar with connected levers FF', having pivots connected with frame A, and with bars connected with plungers above and below, arranged so the molds and series of pivots and parts will come into a direct line. between the pivots in frame A at the point of greatest pressure upon the brick, substantially as set forth.

LEWIS B. KENNEDY.

Witnesses SAML. J. WALLACE, WM. J. COCHRAN. 

